14th.: By How You Word It (Matthew)
Matt. 15: 21-28, and Mark 7:24-30 both describe one person's prayer.
Part of that prayer was recorded by Matthew, and part by Mark
Today's analysis will focus on Matthew's remembrance.
To describe the situation.
Jesus went to Israel’s northern borders. While there, he stayed in someone’s house.
A non-Jew, specifically a Syro-Phoenician woman, came to him.
She knew that Jesus could remove a devil living in her daughter.
She came to the door of the house where he stayed, crying to him for help.
At first, he ignored her. However, her persistence irritated the disciples.
So they came to Jesus, asking him to send her away. Because the disciples came to him, Jesus answered,
“I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 15:24).
Jesus directed this reply to the disciples - and also to the woman. Because Jesus established communication with the woman,
she knew that she could come closer. She fell at his feet worshiping him, repeating her request, “Lord help me.”
Jesus then gave her his discriminatory response, “It is not suitable to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”
Her response is golden.
“Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” (Matt. 15: 26-27).
She was relentless. She was not going to be easily stopped.
She knew Jesus could heal her daughter. It was as if Jesus held her away at first, to determine her resolve, her faith, her love(?), for him.
Jesus replied, “O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” (Matt. 15:28c). And the demon left her daughter alone.
Return to Home“… faith, which works by love.” (Gal. 5:6c)